Flares

Quick question ..... How can I get rid of expired flares. The PO left a bunch on board and it seems every cabinet I search I find more. Not sure what to do with them.

Greetings,
Mr. 13. Try your local fire department. They ARE pyrotechnic devices after all and you're just trying to prevent a fire.

Why get rid of them they could just be the ones that save your ass. Place them in sealed plastic bags with a big note saying EXPIRED and a date keep them handy although they are expired they will still work as long as they haven't been wet or damaged . We set off flares that were 25 years old still worked .

You could also donate them to the British football fans they will make good use of them.

gonesailing13 said:

Quick question ..... How can I get rid of expired flares. The PO left a bunch on board and it seems every cabinet I search I find more. Not sure what to do with them.

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I have been able to bring the expired ones to West Marine in certain cities. Call and ask the local store.

gonesailing13 said:

Quick question ..... How can I get rid of expired flares. The PO left a bunch on board and it seems every cabinet I search I find more. Not sure what to do with them.

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4th of July is right around the corner.

Ted

Every town has a way to dispose of hazardous waste and just about every one of them is different. In my town you soak the flares in water until the sulfur compound turns to mush, tie up in a plastic bag and throw in the trash.
And please do not shoot 12 ga. flares into the air. They come down still burning on house roofs and cars and set stuff on fire.

Call your local USCG Aux group if you don't want them aboard after getting currents. They often use expired for training. I keep mine for when they have training days and go out and blow them off so I remember how and to teach crew.

Do what we did and buy the SOS Distress Light. Then you are always in compliance and you never need to buy flares again. Then keep all your expired flares on board. You wouldn't even need to mark them as expired as the SOS Light makes you compliant with USCG regs.

I tried to find a way to dispose of flares not long ago. I called everywhere I could think of in the county and no one would take expire flares. Fortunately, the local USCG auxiliary was going to do a training at our Yacht Club and wanted expired flares to use. I gave them a bunch, and still had a LOT of expired flares that I kept on board.

When we had this problem , we anchored off a USCG station and told them we were conducting pyrotechnic crew training for about 1 hour and would notify them at the conclusion.

The military is used to being TOLD what to do, not asked for permission.

Works just fine with no hassles.

So many of my customers ask me how to get rid of expired flares I once spent a couple of hours trying to figure it out.
County Haz Mat disposal site-No
USCG-No
USCGA-No
Local Fire Dept-No
State Fire Marshal told me there was a Haz Mat incinerator several hours drive away from me that would take them.

Handhelds are easy, set them off on your property...usually no problem with that unless you are in a declared fire hazard area. The orange smoke ones in the woods are fun...best if your property is open and there at least 5 knots of wind or so....

12 ga , if you fire them into the water at close rsnge and at greater than 45 degrees...they just go in an bubble their way to the bottom. A 55 gallon drum of water with a few inches of sand on the bottom would probably work too.

Good luck with the 25mm ones...I am too scared to fire those babies anywhere but up and away....

FF s suggestion is a good one as many have never lit one or fired one before so it is good training for crew and friends....heck many have never seen flares from a distance so spread the word...the more people that actually see one, the less false reports the USCG will get....way too many...

Dave...The local King County recycling stations in the area that have a hazardous waste section will take them...I just got rid of a load dating back to the 80s at the recycling station in Factoria. No charge...

dhays said:

I tried to find a way to dispose of flares not long ago. I called everywhere I could think of in the county and no one would take expire flares. Fortunately, the local USCG auxiliary was going to do a training at our Yacht Club and wanted expired flares to use. I gave them a bunch, and still had a LOT of expired flares that I kept on board.

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SHASA III said:

Dave...The local King County recycling stations in the area that have a hazardous waste section will take them...I just got rid of a load dating back to the 80s at the recycling station in Factoria. No charge...

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Thanks. That is good to know. I certainly had no luck in Pierce county.

It looks like the South Seattle station also accepts them.

I keep the more recently expired ones for "just in case" but I had several flares that had corroded.

dhays said:

Thanks. That is good to know. I certainly had no luck in Pierce county.

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gaston said:

Why get rid of them they could just be the ones that save your ass. Place them in sealed plastic bags with a big note saying EXPIRED and a date keep them handy although they are expired they will still work as long as they haven't been wet or damaged . We set off flares that were 25 years old still worked.

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Exactly what I do! I have a large orange zippered bag labeled "Expired Flares", which contains flares going back to the 90s. They have been stored well; and I can attest that the old 12 gauge and hand flares worked when tested. In an emergency, I will go through my expired flares first. I also carry a spare 12 gauge flare gun.

I finally got rid of 30 years of flares this year. The Canadian Power and Sail Squadron organized with CIL dealer to have flare disposal dates and locations across Canada. No charge just a donation, only if you wish.

Old flares can be OK, or NOT. In safety inspections, that I have been doing for 20 yrs, first under the auspices of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, more recently just as a Yacht club volunteer, we used to take the old flares, especially the dangerous looking ones, but now we can't take them, as we rarely have a place get rid of them. The best solutions have been offered here already.
If they look marginal, they are! Don't hang onto those. If they look like new, they are likely OK to keep, as they aren't going to leak noxious chemicals into your locker. Old flares, even if they look good, may not work. If you get rid of them by firing into the water, keep track of how many misfires you get. The number will surprise you.

Power Squadrons appreciate the donations for training / demo
I use every opportunity to do a hands-on demo at our marina any time we do a camp fire we have someone light the flare and it makes a great fire starter.
If no USPS or CG Aux or Fire Depts etc wanting them try anyone that camps...hand held make great fire starters.

I have never experienced an expired hand-held that didn't work...some re than 10 yrs old.
sometimes the striker doesn't but you can reuse another striker

A few years ago at the yacht club I belonged to I organized a "Flare Demo Day". We got the permission from the USCG and after notifying all the law enforcement agencies in the area and the fire departments, we held it on the banks of the river. The local fire department had a fire engine and ambulance stand by during the demo and gave some kids that showed up a tour of the ambulance and pumper truck.


It was open to the public and was well advertised and we got about 50 people to show up. They fired off about 250 flares of varying shapes and sizes and types.


The only old ones that didn't work well seemed to be the ones that you hand hold and yank on a string at the back to fire them off. Those only worked about 1/2 the time. The rest of the hand held flares, the 12 gauge and 25mm(?) flares all worked as advertised.


I think the biggest surprise to everyone is how the aerial flares worked. They only last a second or two, didn't seem to go very high, and should only be used if you see or hear a rescue chopper or boat nearby.


We've since joined a different club and I'm holding another Flare Demo Day next month.

One more data point: at least in our area, the USCG Aux is not allowed to train with expired flares any more. They can't even supervise a private flare shoot. The regular CG, however, can help with such an event, if your marina or club wants to hold one.

Also, check the local police station. They may have a place to dispose of unused ammunition. I've heard that works in some places, not in others.

My old YC held a safety day and I was in charge of informing the CG we'd be firing off flares, so I know the notification was done! Of course ppl saw the flares and called the CG. We had a helicopter respond. I don't know if they didn't have the record of my notification or were just being cautious or what. We didn't get into any trouble over it at least.

I still have a burn scar (very small) in the bend of my elbow from flare drippings. It was definitely a good experience to actually handle flares and know what a crazy spitting mess they are.

Mine were all out of date along with extinguishers when I got this boat, so bought new ones and since the old ones look OK, keeping them too, in a separate place.

On twelve gauge flares, examine the brass around the base of the flare. If it is cracked, it is a sign that the flare is going bad. It may not fire or it just might not send the flare as high as it should.

I tend to keep all my old flares on board. If I'm ever in a MAYDAY situation and need to fire some off, I'll use those along with the new ones.

Pineapple Girl said:

My old YC held a safety day and I was in charge of informing the CG we'd be firing off flares, so I know the notification was done! Of course ppl saw the flares and called the CG. We had a helicopter respond. I don't know if they didn't have the record of my notification or were just being cautious or what. We didn't get into any trouble over it at least.

I still have a burn scar (very small) in the bend of my elbow from flare drippings. It was definitely a good experience to actually handle flares and know what a crazy spitting mess they are.

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The helo responding could have just been luck in the sense of notification. If already airborne and something heard on the radio, the helo could have self diverted.

Also.... may have been which unit was "notified" for the demo, and which units were notified of flare sightings. You would think it is more coordinated, but it isn't until the official process of starting a case is deemed necessary. And even then, a unit may "take a look" just to confirm it is a demo and not a real flare.

Is there any evidence that old Flares ever become DANGEROUS rather than just fail to work?

Luckily this old flare testing was done in the winter and I just tossed it in a snowbank..

Shoalwaters said:

Is there any evidence that old Flares ever become DANGEROUS rather than just fail to work?

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Great question and one reason I like to get rid of the really old stuff.

Pyrotechnics are always dangerous. Old stuff is dangerous and possibly unpredictable...


I have heard of a few incidents like the one posted above...buy I have shot/lit thousands of old flares in training and getting rid of other peoples.


I luckily have never had anything but mushy, un-lightable handhelds as the only "issue". Out of dozens and dozens of 12 ga....no matter how old (well, up to 10-12 years expired) all fired normally...well, many were into the water and looked and felt normal